(a) Many priests/bishops lived with women and had families despite their vows of celibacy (not marrying). Pope Innocent VIII’s son carried out his father’s wishes by taking part in an arranged marriage to Lorenzo de Medici’s daughter. Pope Innocent VIII also made Lorenzo’s 13-year- old son a cardinal. This boy later became Pope Leo X.
(b) Other popes were interested mostly in gaining more land, and therefore power, for the Church. Pope Julius II spent so much time at war that he became known as the Warrior Pope.
4. The Renaissance
The influence of the Renaissance meant people in Europe began to question the accepted rules of the Church.
(a) Due to the translation of the Bible from Latin into different languages, anyone who was literate could read the Bible for themselves. Some people disagreed with interpretations of the Bible made by the Catholic Church.
(b) The invention of the printing press also meant that people could spread new ideas very quickly across Europe. These people decided that what was needed was a reform or improvement of the Church. One of these people was a German from Saxony called Martin Luther.
Looking at the evidence
Erasmus wrote in The Praise of Folly (1511) that the Popes ‘allow Christ to be forgotten, lock him up behind their money-making laws ... and murder him with their atrocious [wicked, nasty] manner of life’.
1. What do you think Erasmus meant by this statement? 2.
From your reading, give examples of the ‘money-making laws’ and the ‘atrocious manner of life’ to which Erasmus may have been referring.
3. Why do you think Erasmus was angry about the Popes’ behaviour?
Fig 7.3 Pope Julius II was also known as the Warrior Pope. This portrait of him was painted by Raphael.
RECALL
1. What duties did the parish priest have? 2. What was the tithe? 3. What were indulgences? 4. According to the Catholic Church, what happened to people’s souls in purgatory?
5. How could rich people’s souls get to heaven before poor people’s souls? 6. What influence did the Renaissance have on people’s opinion of the Church?
177
Fig 7.2 Pope Leo X was the son of Lorenzo de Medici.